1 Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of treating surfaces, and particularly to treating surfaces which are susceptible to oxidation by abrading the surface and providing protection against oxidation.
2 Description of the Prior Art
There have been a great number and variety of products and methods in the prior art for treating oxidizable surfaces. Such treatment has two primary concerns. First, there is the treatment of the surface to remove a particular portion or layer which is either integral with or coated on the surface. This would include, for example, the removal of paint or other finishes applied to the surface as well as the removal of rust or other oxidized layers of the surface. Further, there is a simple desire to abrade the surface to provide a desired texture or smoothness. The second concern is the provision against undesired amounts of oxidation after this initial treatment of the surface. Typical approaches to this end have been the coating of such surfaces with an impenetrable material layer such as an oil or a paint. A more costly method is to handle the material in an oxidant-free atmosphere for the time required.
Materials and methods employed in the first consideration of surface treatments range from the simple and well known to the elaborate and highly specialized. The removal of the oxidized layer of a metal, i.e. rust, is typically accomplished in a commercial setting by treatment of the metal with a strong acid such as hydrochloric or sulfuric acid. Other conventional methods involve a simple abrading of the surface such as by use of a wire brush, emery cloth or other suitable device. Removal of other types of surface layers or coatings may similarly involve such treatments, as well as the use of specialized chemicals such as paint strippers and the like. In one aspect of the present invention, the surface treatment involves use of an abrasive particulate material which is applied to the surface and rubbed against the surface to abrade away the undesired layer or coating.
The second concern as indicated above is the protection of the initially treated surface to prevent undesired oxidation for a required period of time. In certain applications, the oxidation such as the rusting of certain metals is desired to be prevented for long periods of time, a matter of years. In other instances, however, it is only necessary although quite important to prevent the "flash" rust which will develop in a period of hours or days. In these circumstances, it would be possible to apply a protective coating for this limited period of time, although this can be cumbersome, expensive, and in fact may be detrimental to the subsequent treatment of the surface. It is an aspect of the present invention to provide protection to the abraded surface to prevent the flash rust from occurring for a period of perhaps a couple of days. In addition to the rusting of iron, steel and other types of metals, the present invention provides protection against all types of oxidizers.